Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Cranbourne South trainer Andrew Paraskevas is unlikely to be at Tara Raceway on Sunday to see Pure White Evil take on a top field from box three in the Group Listed Fairthorne Forestry Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres).
Speaking earlier this week he said he was great believer in sticking with a winning routine.
“Lee (Rowe) has taken him over to Tara Raceway twice in the past month and both times things have worked out well with Pure White Evil winning a heat of the cup last Sunday in 29.66 seconds after several weeks’ earlier having won in 29.65 seconds,” he said.
Paraskevas was quick to concede that Slingshot Hammer would be the one to beat from box one although he believed his dog wouldn’t be disadvantaged by his draw.
“I think he’s better drawn inside and if he could find the front then I reckon he would be hard to get around. But he’s had two runs on the track so probably his chances will now really hinge on how much improvement there is in the other finalists that had their first look at the track last Sunday.
“Look, I rate Pure White Evil as a nice honest dog but certainly not a genuine Group performer,” he said.
Paraskevas has been training full-time for five years, prior to that operating on a hobby basis with his father John who is still involved in the sport.
In fact, it was John who back in late 2007 came up with the idea of breeding a litter with Brandeen Misty who had won a couple of races at Temora prior to previously whelping four litters for other breeders.
The Paraskevas’s subsequently mated her with Brett Lee, one of the offspring later to race as Father Of Mine, a winner of five races over short courses.
John Paraskevas obviously had seen something in the line that he liked because Father Of Mine, when later mated, did pretty well with her first two litters while her third, to Barcia Bale, includes Pure White Evil along with My American Girl, Nervous An Weird and Eye Got It.
Eye Got It won last week’s inaugural Murray Bridge Cup with Andrew Paraskevas now in line for a $5000 Greyhound Racing SA trainer’s bonus if Pure White Evil is successful on Sunday afternoon.